30 Greatest African Players: Men & Women (2023)

The continent has witnessed some of the greatest African soccer players ever, gracing the field of play with their talents.

The soccer world cannot forget in a hurry what the likes of late Rashidi Yekini brought to the table in terms of goals scored, the skill and flair of midfield maestro Jay-Jay Okocha.

The silky play of Madelaine Ngono Mani of Cameroon, the mind-blowing scoring prowess of Perpetual Nwkocha. The intelligent defensive display of Janine van Wyk of South Africa, the energetic play, and the goal-scoring ability of Samuel Etoo.

The power play of Didier Drogba, the mesmerizing play of Nwankwo Kanu, and many other African soccer players to ever play the round leather game.

These are the few leading African soccer players to have played the round leather game, however, there are many soccer stars to have played football both on the continent and in Europe.

And those who have achieved success with both clubs and countries made themselves a gladiator and many young and aspiring soccer players could learn one or two things from what they’ve achieved with respect to their careers.

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This article was first published on March 20, 2020, and updated on December 1, 2022

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30 Best African Soccer Players

Thomas N’Kono (Cameroon)

The only goalie better than N’Kono in Africa during the past 100 years, according to the IFFHS, was his longtime opponent Joseph-Antoine Bell.

N’Kono, who won the African Footballer of the Year award twice led Cameroon’s first choice at two World Cups, the team went unbeaten and conceded only once in the 1982 edition.

N’Kono also won Africa’s top trophy with the Indomitable Lions in 1984, however, Bell was the team’s goalkeeper at the time because N’Kono had gone to honor his club call.

Having played in Spain with Espanyol for nearly a decade, he achieved major success with the Yaounde club Canon. He won a swathe of domestic titles and some continental club honors with Kpa-Kum.

Dr. Khumalo (South Africa)

The midfield general, who earned 50 caps, was the artistic focal point of South African football in the 1990s.

The Doctor was one of the Nation Builders who, together with Radebe, helped their country win the AFCON so convincingly in 1996. In July 1992, during Bafana Bafana’s match against Cameroon—the country’s first match following independence—he also scored the game’s lone goal.

He was a part of the national team at the 1998 World Cup.

Khumalo spent his first seven years with Kaizer Chiefs winning various tournaments and a few domestic titles. He spent a little time in Argentina and the United States before coming home to Soweto for one last dance with Kaizer Chiefs.

Sammy Kufour (Ghana)

An excellent central defender who was regarded as one of Europe’s best at the turn of the century. He twice finished in the runners-up spot for the African Footballer of the Year award and once took home the BBC African Player of the Year award.

Kuffour represented Ghana in the 2006 World Cup, although he arrived a decade too early to fully enjoy the country’s current prominence in world football.

At Bayern Munich, where he spent twelve successful years, he won six domestic league titles and four German Cups.

Mustapha Hadji (Morocco)

Hadji was a quick, clever, and creative attacking midfielder who performed best with the ball at his feet. In 1998, he was named African Footballer of the Year, becoming the first non-West African to do so in more than 20 years.

With the Moroccan team, he made it into two World Cups and made an impact in France in 1998. One of the best displays by an African player on the international stage was his performance versus Norway.

Hadji never won the African Nations Cup during this time, and the Atlas Lions never quite excelled in continental competition.

Gabrielle Onguene (Cameroon)

The Indomitable Lionesses is arguably the best winger of the last ten years attributed to her ability to create opportunities, her dribbling skills, and her speed in wide areas.

At the club level, Onguene won three titles with Cameroonian side Louves Miniproff de Yaounde and played for Russian side Rossiyanka before joining CSKA Moscow, where she lifted her first domestic title in Europe in 2019.

In 2008, Gabrielle made her debut with the Indomitable Lionesses. Her goal gave Cameroon the advantage over South Africa in the semifinals, and they went on to win gold in the African Games in 2011.

At the London 2012 Olympic Games, she gave Cameroon its only goal, and after the placed Cameroun second at the 2016 African Women’s Cup of Nations, she was voted the tournament’s Best Player.

She also participated in the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cup, scoring a goal in both.

Hossam Hassan (Egypt)

Hassan is one of many Egyptians who have struggled outside of their country, and his legacy is based on his unwavering wins with Al-Ahly and the Pharaoh’s national team.

Hassan may not be as well-known as some of the other players at the top of our list because of his shortcomings outside of North Africa, but he is a forward who deserves to draw attention from around the world

The magnificent poacher was a vital figure in three of Egypt’s AFCON titles and also accompanied the Pharaohs to the 1990 World Cup.

With 68 goals in 176 games, he continues to hold the record for the most goals scored in North Africa. He scored the most goals at the 1998 Cup of Nations, leading the tournament with seven.

An irresistible career at the club level saw him secure barrel-loads of triumphs with Al-Ahly, whose title of African Club of the Century is due, in no small part, to Hassan’s terrific contributions. Thirteen league titles, five Egyptian Cups, and one African Champions League triumph represent a remarkable haul.

He also won a second continental title upon arriving at Zamalek once the affection from Ahly ran dry.

Essam El-Hadary (Egypt)

I believe that El-Hadary, whom Didier Drogba once stated was his fiercest opponent, is tremendously underappreciated. In time, I hope the Egyptian goalkeeper’s reputation will rival that of the best goalkeepers to come out of the continent

No one has won more Cup of Nations titles than El-Hadary, who won it four times with Egypt.

El-Hadary was one of the pioneers of Egypt’s Golden Generation who gave the most. As an example, throughout the three Cup of Nations finals, he didn’t concede a single goal and was nominated in the team of the tournament three times.

He has won the championship in Sudan with Al-Merreikh and in Egypt with Ahly a remarkable eight times. This is supplemented by an outstanding four African Champions League triumphs and a host of other honors from both Egypt and the continent.

Ange N’Guessan (Ivory Coast)

On the pitch, N’Guessan is easily recognized for her speed, athleticism, and excellent finishing in Les Elephants’ colors.

The 30-year-old, who is currently registered to Tenerife, shone when Cote d’Ivoire trounced South Africa at the 2014 African Women’s Cup of Nations to qualify for its first Women’s World Cup in Canada.

She became the first African woman to sign for Barcelona in 2017 following her Champions League heroics with Gintra Universitetas and Anorthosis Famagusta, where she scored 17 goals in 13 games and was named one of the ten best goals of the World Cup in 2015 after scoring against Norway.

She helped Cote d’Ivoire eliminate Nigeria to reach the fourth round of the Caf 2020 Olympic qualifiers and was nominated for the 2019 African Women’s Player of the Year award.

READ ALSO: Top Black Football Stars Whose Lifestyle Vices Ruined Their Career

Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi)

Chawinga is arguably the most lethal goal poacher on the continent. With no domestic titles to show for it perhaps due to where she hailed from, which isn’t one of the biggest African soccer playing country in women’s football.

This has done a lot of damage to Chawinga’s chances of winning the African Women’s Player of the Year, despite her performances for her club side.

Had it been Malawi were on the continental competition, perhaps that may have boosted her chances, however, Chawinga remains one of the best goal scorers ever to come from Africa.

As the first Malawian footballer to ever play abroad, she never disappoints her fans as she turned out to be a goalscoring machine in Sweden. She scored 123 goals in three seasons winning the top scorer award twice and likewise in the Damallsvensken where she also scored 26 goals for Kvarnsvedens in 2017.

Chawinga moved to Jiangsu Suning in China from the back of her impressive performance with the Scandinavian clubs in Europe. In her debut season, she emerged as the top scorer with 17 goals, as her new club finished as runners-up in the Chinese women league.

The following season, she scored 38 goals to help Suning to a domestic quadruple and a silver medal at the inaugural Asian Women’s Club Championship.

The Jiangsu Suning forward was shortlisted for the 2019 African Women’s Player of the Year award, unfortunately, she lost the gong to Oshoala.

Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria)

Africa has produced a large number of players with an uncanny knack for scoring goals, but unlike Godfrey Chitalu and Tony Yeboah, for instance, Yekini has the achievements to back up his outstanding performance in front of goal.

Yekini was once named African Footballer of the Year and has also come in second and third place in the voting. He was ranked as the 17th-best African player of the 20th century by IFFHS.

Yekini, who was a member of the Nigerian side that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994, also shone at the World Cup in America later that year. He was the leading scorer in two continental tournaments and the 1994 tournament’s player of the year.

Rabah Madjer (Morocco)

When Algeria won the 1990 Cup of Nations, Madjer was named player of the tournament. He was also awarded the 1987 African Player of the Year and the 20th-century Algerian Footballer.

In 2010, The Daily Mail claimed that Madjer epitomized Algeria’s heyday in the 1980s

Madjer won the African championship with Algeria in 1990, after falling short a decade earlier. In successive World Cups, he also played for the Desert Lions.

He had significant success in Portugal, where he was instrumental in Porto’s 1987 European Cup victory. Amidst a whirlwind of domestic and other European honors, this stands out as the finest.

Desire Oparanozie (Nigeria)

Oparanozie, undoubtedly one of the best African strikers of the past ten years, hasn’t received enough credit for all of her exploits and talent.

In one-on-one encounters, she is not only swift and dangerous but also physically quite strong. In recent years, the Nigerian has contributed by scoring a number of significant goals.

She has established herself as a brilliant striker since she was young, scoring five goals in back-to-back U-20 Women’s World Cup matches two years after her U-17 appearance in New Zealand.

She has been a member of the Super Falcons since 2010, scoring key goals in the 2014 and 2016 finals to help the team win four African Women’s Cup of Nations titles. Notably, the 27-year-old was also the leading scorer in AWCON 2014, with five goals.

Joseph – Antoine Bell (Cameroon)

Bell, who was twice a runner-up for African Footballer of the Year, was named by IFFHS as Africa’s greatest goalkeeper of the 20th century.

Bell, a two-time African champion, represented the Indomitable Lions on three World Cup campaigns.

Bell was a key member of an outstanding Union Douala team that won the African Champions League in 1979. With Union and the Egyptian side Arab Contractors, he enjoyed success locally.

His stint in France with Marseille frequently held the potential to be exceptional, but the team all too often fell short as the last obstacle drew close.

Salif Keita (Mali)

Keita, who was named the 1970 African Footballer of the Year, also won the FIFA Order of Merit in 1996. He was a deadly striker in his day and had a remarkable scoring record for Saint-Etienne in France.

In the 1972 Cup of Nations final, Keita led Mali to victory, but he was powerless as the Republic of Congo beat Les Aigles 3-2 in a classic final.

As a youngster in Mali, he was a never-quitter who carried his ambition and achievement over to Europe. At the tail end of the 1960s, he won three straight Ligue 1 titles on the Loire while also enjoying countless wins in the French Cup.

Keita won the Portuguese Cup with Sporting more than a decade after leaving Africa.

Abedi Pele (Ghana)

Abedi Pele, a superstar of the early 1990s, won the African Footballer of the Year award 3 times and the BBC African Player of the Year award once.

IFFHS named him one of the top three Africans of all time, while his namesake, the legendary Brazilian, listed him among the top 125 players in history.

Regrettably, he was never able to qualify for a World Cup, but in 1982, he won the Cup of Nations with Ghana. The Black Stars fell to Cote d’Ivoire in the tournament ten years later, and he was named tournament player of the year.

Marseille was where Abedi Pele made his legacy in France. In 1991, he lost in the final of the European Cup, but he came back two years later and win Marseille’s lone Champions League title to date.

Kalusha Bwalyab (Zambia)

Zambia’s most successful footballer in history is Kalusha Bwalya. He shocked Italy at the 1988 Olympics’ first round with the Zambian side, scoring a hat-trick in the 4-0 triumph.

Despite being ousted in the quarterfinals, Kalusha secured a move to PSV, the European Cup champions of that year. He spent six seasons playing for the Dutch team, winning three titles.

As a result of his time spent playing in Europe, Kalusha was not on the tragic airplane in April 1993 that took the lives of the majority of Zambian internationals en route to a World Cup qualifier in Senegal.

The national squad was rebuilt under Kalusha’s leadership, and he led them to the 1994 African Cup of Nations final, where they lost to the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

He has the highest caps and goals in Zamia team history. He played 143 times and scored over 100 goals for his country.

Janine Van Wyk (South Africa)

Van Wyk launched herself onto the scene when she scored a stunning free-kick against the Super Falcons when South Africa got their first victory over Nigeria.

Her brilliant goal knocked out the Falcons from the 2012 AWCON, and also played at the Summer Olympics in London.

Booth, as she’s called in South Africa, had over 150 match appearances for the Bayana Bayana, and she became the first captain to lead her team to the World Cup in South African history.

Her club career was also filled with lots of success stories, she had a stint with Moroka Swallows, and later on, she joined Palace Super Falcons from Tembisa where she won three consecutive league titles.

Van Wyk also played with Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League playing over 20 matches before she left the team to join a Danish club side Fortuna Hjorring in 2019.

In January 2020, she announced that she had agreed to terminate her deal with the club so she could return home to focus on rehabilitation.

Van Wyk may not have won the AWCON or the African Footballers of the year for the female category, however, she’s one of the greatest African soccer players.

She graced the field of play with her talent and her leadership skills when leading the Bayana Bayana of South Africa, and she remains one of the football gladiators the game has ever seen.

Elizabeth Addo (Ghana)

Addo is no doubt Ghana’s most successful female footballer in history. She’s well known for her fantastic scoring ability.

Addo started her career with Tesano Ladies in 2006, before she went on to play for Nigerian club Rivers Angels, Spartak Subotica in Serbia, Ferencvaros of Hungry, and Kvarnsvedens of Sweden.

She also had a stint with Seattle Reign and Sydney Wanderers, but most of her club success came with Jiangsu Suning where she won a quadruple with the Chinese side as well as a silver medal at the Asian Women’s Club Championship in her debut season.

Addo’s international career wasn’t as impressive as that of her club career, but then her sacrifices for the Black Queens had been top-notch since she started playing for the U14, U17, U20, and U23 national teams.

She made her debut with the senior team in 2012 and she has earned over 26 caps with ten goals to her name.

Mohamed Aboutrika (Egypt)

Aboutrika won the African Cup of Nations in 2006 with the Egyptian national team. He also scored the winning goal to help Egypt win the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. He helped his club Al Ahly to win the bronze medal in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2006.

Mohamed during his playing days never played for any club outside Egypt and that’s one peculiar thing he’d forever be remembered for; despite that, he was named the World’s Most Popular Footballer of the Year on two consecutive occasions (2007 and 2007).

His off-field lifestyle is also a major part that has inspired many people. He’s played some humanitarian roles in the life of some less privileged in Egypt. He once said “Every athlete has a humanitarian role in society.

He doesn’t live solely for himself, but for others, too. I like to participate in charity work and try my best to help the poor and penniless. I’m also seeking to use soccer in humanitarian work.”

Known for his ingenuity at interpreting tactics as a player and an analyst, Aboutreika is the fourth Egyptian to join the leading Qatari channel beIN Sports.

He is currently working as a football analyst for several domestic and international leagues in Europe, alongside the exclusively broadcast AFCON and CAF Champions League.

Women Football In Africa: It’s Emergence And Transition

Perpetua Nkwocha (Nigeria)

Perpetua remains one of the greatest female African soccer stars ever to grace the field of play.

She earned her legendary status by participating in 7 CAF Women’s Championships from 2002 to 2014, and in all of those championships, she was very instrumental in the Super Falcon’s quest to win the tournament.

She was voted African Women’s Footballer of the year in 2004, 2005, 2010, and 2011 making her the first player to win the award four times before Oshoala equaled her records in 2019.

The former Falcons forward also participated in 4 FIFA World Women’s Cups as well as the Olympics in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, and Beijing 2008.

Perpetua’s impressive success wasn’t only about the continent, she also took her brilliant performance to Europe where she shone like a million stars.

Perpetua played for Swedish side Sunnana SK from 2007-14, up till now she remains one the most respected foreign player in Sweden, not because of anything but due to what she did while playing in the female league.

Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria)

The current African Footballer of the Year is the new face of Women’s football in Nigeria and Africa.

Oshoala broke into the scene in 2014, when she emerged as the most valuable player and the highest goal scorer in the Women U20 World Cup, where Nigeria finished as runners-up to Germany.

And since then she hasn’t looked back churning out impressive performances for club and country.

Oshoala led the Super Falcons to a record 8th African women’s championship in Namibia, she won the MVP award and ended in second place on the top scorer log behind her compatriot Operanozie as the Super Falcons coasted home with the trophy.

She became the first African female player to secure a professional move to England after joining Liverpool in 2015, and, a year later, moved to Arsenal where she won the FA Cup.

In 2015, she was named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, Oshoala has achieved so much despite the fact that she’s still young and she has been firing from all cylinders in the Spanish league feminine.

She signed for the Chinese club Dalian Quanjian, where she won 4 domestic honors in two seasons before making a loan move to Barcelona feminine.

Having scored 8 goals in 11 games for Barcelona on an initial loan spell, including her side’s only goal in the Champions League final against Lyon.

She earned a three-year permanent deal in June 2019 and also became the first African to play and score in the European elite women’s club competition.

The Barcelona forward would still achieve more success if she keeps her head up with steady consistency.

Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast)

Toure is the heart and soul of Cote d’Ivoire’s Golden Generation, a powerful midfielder who has elevated his game since moving to England with Manchester City after leaving Barcelona.

Toure, who was voted African Footballer of the Year twice in 2011 and 2012, was also named to the PFA Premier League team of the Year in 2012.

Yaya, like his fellow Africans, has had numerous Cup of Nations heartbreaks despite being one of the best players ever to come out of the continent.

He has played for the Elephants in two World Cups. Toure, a player who shines in big games, was the standout performer in Manchester City’s victorious Premier League-winning season.

After winning major titles with Cote d’Ivoire, in Greece, and Spain (two La Liga titles), among other domestic trophies, and a Champions League victory in 2009.

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)

The Ivorian former captain was well known with Marseille in the French Ligue1, where he finished as the third-highest goalscorer in the 2003-04 season with 19 goals to his name.

He also took the team to the final of the then UEFA Cup final against Rafael Benitez-led side Valencia. He had a brief stint with Le Mans and Guingamp when he was still very young before signing a professional contract with Marseille.

In 2012, Drogba became the first African player to score 100 Premier League goals for the West London side. He won the FA Cup with Chelsea against Liverpool, a match in which he scored to become the first player to score in four separate FA Cup finals.

Drogba was also instrumental in Chelsea’s quest to win the Champions League against Bayern Munich, a final that was decided via a shoot-out.

The forward had a stint with Shanghai Shenhua, Galatasaray winning the Turkish Super Cup. before he made his second return with the Blues. He continued his journey towards the twilight of his career at Montreal Impact playing over 40 matches in two seasons and scoring 23 goals.

The former African player of the year also has a rich record with his national team. He captained the Elephants from 2006 until his retirement and has been the national team’s all-time goalscorer with 65 goals and 105 appearances.

He led the team to the 2006 FIFA World Cup which was the nation’s first appearance in the tournament, Drogba wasn’t lucky enough to win the AFCON in 2006 and 2012 as his team was beaten via penalties on both occasions.

Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria)

A quick and skillful playmaker, who is considered the best Nigerian (albeit arguably) and one of the best African soccer players of all time,

Okocha was known for his confidence with the ball, technique, creativity, and dribbling skills, as well as his use of feints, in particular the stepover.

He earned the honor of being named the “Best Nigerian Football Player” several times, in 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005. Jay-Jay Okocha scored 85 goals in a total of 454 matches.

There is a famous line, that describes Jay-Jack Okocha: “So good, that they named him twice.” This line has its origins in the time when he played for Bolton Wanderers.

Okocha netted for the Super Eagles 14 times in 74 appearances across international competitions, such as the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games 1996 in Atlanta, and the Africa Cup of Nations to just name a few.

He also played during the 1994 FIFA World Cup, only losing against Italy, which was one of the favorite teams to win the competition.

Roger Mila (Cameroon)

Another Cameroonian who made this list is Roger who at the age of 38 (when most players are already retired) rose to stardom after helping the Indomitable Lion become the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals in the FIFA 1990 World Cup.

Milla was capped 63 times for the national team and he scored 37 goals.

Interestingly, Mila is one of the highest-scoring African soccer players in Europe with 111 goals in 312 matches. Individual accolades won by Roger include African Footballer of the Year (1976 and 1990), CAF Best African Player of the Last 50 years (2007), and Africa Cup of Nations Best Player (1986) amongst others.

Sadio Mane (Senegal)

Few people from the small community of Bambali can achieve what Sadio Mane has achieved in his career.

The winger rose to prominence at RB Salzburg. His wonderful exploits drew Southampton, which offered him £10 million. He was lured to Anfield by Jugen Klopp in 2016, and the rest is history.

He won the Champions League in 2019 while playing for the Merseyside club. He and Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shared the Premier League Golden Boot that year.

The Senegalese also played a role in ending Liverpool’s 30-year wait for the Premier League title. Mane was a member of the Senegal team that won the AFCON in 2022.

While with his national team Senegal, he reached the World Cup and African Cup of Nations final in 2019.

Mohammed Salah (Egypt)

Mohamed Salah is undoubtedly one of the greatest Africans to have ever played this beautiful game.

The winger has continuously proven himself since leaving Chelsea and moving on countless loan stints before making a permanent move to AS Roma. His move to Liverpool has been nothing short of a miracle.

He has won both the Premier League and the Champions League since his arrival at Anfield. He won the Golden Boot twice, in 2017-18 and 2018-19, scoring 32 and 22 goals, respectively. In 2018, Salah also won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.

While with Egypt, the highlight of his career was when he marshaled the country to the FIFA World Cup 2018 and the African Cup of Nations final in 2017 but lost to Cameroon 2-1.

John Mikel Obi (Nigeria)

Mikel came into the limelight at the U17 World Championship in Finland where he announced himself as the next big thing to watch out for in the world of football.

His talent didn’t only show in Finland, it also comes to the fore in the Netherlands at the FIFA World Youth Championship, where he had an excellent tournament till Nigeria got to the final and lost to Messi-Argentina, and Mikel was voted the second-best player at tournament going home with the Silver Ball.

The former Chelsea midfield marshal also had an awesome club career with Chelsea, where he won a lot of titles winning the Premier League, and the league cup, playing as a holding midfielder, a position which he has grown into to become a specialist.

Mikel might not have won the FIFA World Cup with Super Eagles, but what he has achieved on the international level and with his club, he will always be in the conversation of the greatest player ever to come out of the continent.

Kanu Nwankwo (Nigeria)

Charity they say begins at home, and definitely, that’s what it was for Kanu.

He started his soccer career at Iwuanyanwu Nationale in the Nigerian league, following his U17 World Championship, before he now moved down to Europe.

He forge ahead in his career with Ajax Amsterdam, where he won the Champions League in 1995 against the star-studded Milan side, scoring over 25 goals in 54 appearances for the Eredivise side.

Papillo also had a stint with Inter Milan for a fee reported to be around $ 4.7 million, unfortunately for Kanu, he couldn’t continue his career with the Nerazzurri after he was diagnosed with heart disease.

After a successful surgery to replace an aortic valve, Kanu returned to play football again in 1997, but couldn’t really play so many matches for Inter, playing just 12 games and 1 goal for the Italian side.

He left for Arsenal in 1999 where he went on to become a legend and very popular among the Gunners fans, he won the 2003 FA Cup with them, and the Premier League with the invincible side, and he played over 197 games, scoring 44 goals.

Kanu recorded success at the international level winning the Olympics where he shone like a million stars against the Samba Boys of Brazil. h

He also won the U17 Championship in Japan against arch-rival Ghana, and he was also crowned African Footballer of the Year twice, with all of this success achieved, Kanu is no doubt one of the living greatest African soccer players.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Players That Have And Are Still Playing For Arsenal

Samuel Eto’o  (Cameroon)

The Cameroonian is well known for his fast, strong, and energetic play when still very active. Etoo’s stamina, work rate, ability in the air, and accurate finishing is definitely a thing that distinguishes him from other forwards that ever come from Africa.

He started his European football career outside Africa with Real Madrid as a 16year old lad, but couldn’t tie down a starting shirt with the team, so he had to go on several loan spells.  He finally join Mallorca in 2000 where he showed the world that he has come to stay, scoring over 70 goals.

Eto’o joined Barcelona in 2004, following his impressive performance with Mallorca, he went on to score 130 goals for the Catalan giant in 5 seasons and also became the record holder for the most number of seasons appearances by an African player in La Liga.

Eto’o won 3 league titles with Barcelona, 2 champions league in 2006 and 2009 scoring in both finals. In 2010, he signed for Inter Milan and became the first player to win two European continental trebles following his back-to-back achievement with Barcelona.

He had brief spells with Anzhi, Sampdoria, and Antalyaspor scoring over 44 goals in 76 league games for the Turkish-based side.

He also had a stint with Chelsea, Everton, Konyaspor, and Qatar SC towards the tail end of his retirement.

However, his international stories were also packed with success both on the continent and in Europe, winning the African Footballer of the Year for the fourth time in 2010.

Eto’o won the AFCON twice in 2000 and 2002, coupled with lots of titles won by this great African soccer player just to mention a few.

George Weah (Liberia)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest African soccer players of all time. In 1995, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d’Or, becoming the first and the only African player to win these awards.

After beginning his career in his home country of Liberia, Weah spent 14 years playing for clubs in France, Italy, and England. Arsène Wenger first brought him to Europe, signing him for Monaco in 1988.

At the international level, Weah represented Liberia at the African Cup of Nations on two occasions, winning 53 caps and scoring 13 goals for his country. He played an international friendly in 2018 where his number 14 jersey was retired.

In 1989, 1994, and 1995, he was also named the African Footballer of the Year, and in 1996, he was named African Player of the Century.

Known for his acceleration, speed, and dribbling ability, in addition to his goalscoring and finishing, Weah was described by FIFA as “the precursor of the multi-functional strikers of today”.

Weah became involved in politics in Liberia following his retirement from football and was elected President of Liberia in the 2017 election, defeating the incumbent Vice President Joseph Boakai.

A total of 194 goals in 413 appearances were scored for the clubs he played for, while he scored 13 times in 54 matches for the Liberian National Team.

 

 

Honorable Mentions:

• Lucas Radebe
• Mercy Akide
• Alberta Sackey
• Marc-Vivien Foe
• Emmanuel Amuneke
• Kolo Toure
• Aubameyang
• Seydou Keita
• Kazadi Mwamba
• Benni McCarthy
• Jean Manga-Onguene
• Theophile Abega
• Michael Essien
• Segun Odegbami
• Rigobert Song
• Vincent Enyeama
• Tony Yeboah